5/26/2009 @ 9:00AM

In Depth: America's Fittest Cities

The
American Fitness Index is sponsored by the WellPoint Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the health benefits company WellPoint. The index ranks 45 metropolitan statistical areas–a geographical measurement defined by the
U.S. Census Bureau used by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics–that include the city and surrounding suburban area. It measures each city’s performance on 30 indicators, including acres of parkland, death rate from cardiovascular disease, the number of primary care physicians per capita and the percent of residents who bicycle or walk to work. The metrics were gathered from government and non-profit organizations. (For the complete methodology, visit
www.americanfitnessindex.org.) The following cities are ranked worst to best.

42. Las Vegas, Nev.

(Las Vegas- Paradise, Nev.)

Score: 34.6

Selected Strengths:

Lower percent with disability

More dog parks per capita

Higher park-related expenditures per capita

Selected Challenges:

Higher percent of days when mental health was not good during the past 30 days

Higher percent with angina or coronary heart disease

Higher death rate from cardiovascular disease

Read on for more on health, including a look at the best cities for the outdoors and the worst cities for allergies.